Shravani Mela
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| Shravani Mela | |
|---|---|
 Devotees at Shravani Mela in Deoghar | |
| Genre | Pilgrimage |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Venue | Baidyanath Temple |
| Locations | Deoghar, Jharkhand, India |
| Coordinates | 24°29′33″N 86°42′00″E / 24.49250°N 86.70000°E |
| Participants | 40 Lac+ (2024)[1] |
| Patrons | |
| Part of a series on |
| Hinduism |
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Shravani Mela is a month-long Hindu festival observed in the month of Shravan (July–August) at the Baba Baidyanath Dham temple in Deoghar, Jharkhand, India.[2] This festival is one of the largest religious gatherings in India, attracting millions of devotees, primarily the Kanwariyas, who undertake a pilgrimage to offer holy water from the Ganges to Lord Shiva.[3][4]
Shravani Mela is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is considered highly auspicious.[5] The pilgrimage, also known as the Kanwar Yatra, involves devotees collecting water from the Ganges at Ajgaibinath Dham, Sultanganj and carrying it on foot over a distance of approximately 105 km to the Baba Baidyanath temple in Deoghar.[6][7] The journey symbolizes devotion, penance, and purification.[8][9]
Rituals
- Devotees, known as Kanwariyas, wear saffron-colored clothes[10] and carry the holy water in pots balanced on a decorated bamboo structure called a Kanwar.[11][12]
- The pilgrimage starts from Ajgaibinath Dham, Sultanganj, where the Ganges flows northward, making it sacred for collecting water.[13]
- The devotees walk barefoot and are not allowed to place the Kanwar on the ground during the journey.[14]
- Upon reaching Deoghar, they perform Abhishek (ritual bathing) of the Shiva Linga at Baba Baidyanath temple with the sacred water.[15]
